Paterson, NJ – Two homes were destroyed, a third had serious damage, and at least a dozen others were impacted in a gas explosion in New Jersey Tuesday morning, fire officials said.
Paterson Fire Chief Michael Postorino said that firefighters were able to get everyone out of the homes surrounding 16 and 18 Goshen Avenue shortly before the blast “flattened” the two homes at 9:24 a.m.
“They did what they were trained to do,” he said. “They got everyone out.”
He said that several firefighters sustained minor injuries while battling the fire that followed the blast, but it appeared that no residents had reported being hurt. All 11 residents at the two homes were able to get out before the blast, but Postorino added that they’re going to conduct a search to make sure no one was trapped in the rubble.
Postorino said the department got several calls from homeowners in the area who reported smelling gas as they got ready for the day at about 9 a.m. When they arrived, crews heard hissing coming from the gas source and they worked quickly to clear residents from the two homes and other dwellings throughout the area before the explosion.
Several residents nearby reported smelling gas before the blast, and several said they felt shaking when the homes exploded. Store owner Charlie Hayek said that he initially thought a car exploded but was shocked when he saw the homes reduced to rubble.
“We shook,” Hayek said. ‘We shook, and we knew it wasn’t a car accident.”
Hayek added that the firefighters’ quick actions likely saved lives.
“If it happened 10 minutes before it would have been a lot worse,” he said.
Chopper 4 footage shows utility crews and firefighters crowding around the the pile of rubble left behind from the blast. Windows, shards of wood and shingles were strewn about the block, covering cars, the sidewalk and street dozens of feet from the two homes.
The homes on either side of the blast both also appear to have some damage. Postorino said that one of the homes had serious structural damage, and at least a dozen others nearby had everything from blown-out windows to damage from flying derbris.
Gas service and power were both shut off after the blast, both Postorino and PSE&G said in a statement.